The art of the present invention relates to athletic cups utilized by male and other persons during the participation in sports, martial arts, law enforcement, and military operations in general and more particularly to a uniquely formed and composite structured form of an athletic cup which is capable of protecting the person from severe groin impacts, including but not limited to an impact from a projectile such as a bullet.
When male persons are involved in sports or activities that include heavy body contact or are subjected to situations of expected attack, such as during law enforcement or military operations, it is expected that the groin area will be subjected to heavy physical blows or impacts from projectiles such as bullets. It is well understood that the male groin area is susceptible to damage or injury from heavy blows and/or fast-traveling projectiles. The most common form of protection for the aforesaid is a concave device which is known in the arts as an athletic cup which generally covers the male genital area below the abdomen and between the legs. In many instances the athletic cup is supported and held in place by an undergarment called an athletic supporter. The aforesaid are extremely common in such sports as football, baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, and any other sport that might cause a male person's groin area to receive heavy contact.
The majority of prior art athletic cups are manufactured from injection molded polymer materials such as polypropylene or polyethylene. That is, they are often injection molded from a single polymer material. Often the edges or rims of the athletic cup are covered with a soft yet resilient material such as foam rubber without any additional cushioning or protection on the inside. An inherent requirement for an athletic cup is that it is strong and protective yet also is light in weight or mass as the user desires to limit any excess weight during some of the aforesaid activities. Prior art athletic cups are sufficient for routine sports activities but are seriously deficient for martial arts, police, and military operations. Applicant has advanced the prior art as described in his U.S. Pat. No. 7,712,156 with the present art representing an improvement to the protective cup art beyond Applicant's disclosure as claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,712,156.
The present art provides a unique composite structure and athletic cup form which protects against impacts and blows and further protects against small arms fire and shrapnel as found in some military and law enforcement situations.
For a preferred embodiment, the present art apparatus comprises a comfort surround of a lower durometer material with a front primary shell of a uniquely layered composite structure. The comfort surround and front primary shell are mated and bonded whereby the front primary shell substantially protects the groin area from impacts and projectiles. Unique to the form of the comfort surround is a unique taper structure on the outer walls which forces the outer shell to elongate during severe impacts rather than collapse as in many prior art athletic cups. The present art primary shell layered composite structure provides a very light weight or mass while having the strength to survive impacts from severe blows and projectiles.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved composite athletic cup which provides groin protection from severe blows and projectiles while further limiting the additional weight or mass which the user must carry.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved composite athletic cup having a comfort surround which is forced to extend or elongate upon impact instead of the walls collapsing and potentially causing harm.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved composite athletic cup having a primary shell formed from a layered structure of carbon fiber, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene, fiberglass including E-glass (alumino-borosilicate glass), or DYNEEMA® (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fiber), and an aramid fiber such as KEVLAR® (poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide fiber) without the weight and mass disadvantage of metallic athletic cups.
A yet further object of the present invention is to provide an improved composite athletic cup having a comfort surround mated and bonded with a primary shell which absorbs and deflects impact energies without harm to the user and without destruction of the athletic cup itself.